looking for a cheap palm

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 7:57 am

We decided to get a GPSr for our friend (DQ Donna) for her b-day so she can go caching instead of just finding them with our hints. She is not hooked up to the net but she won't be doing a ton of caches as she works full time, has a handicapped adult daughter (Aunty Amber) and her DH will be getting a lung transplant soon... so we will download the waypoints in for her. Now we are figuring the best way to give her the info... either print out a few for her at a time... or invest in a palm.

We have a handful of her friends and relatives that are chipping in for the GPSr but not sure if there will be enough to get a palm unless we can get a used one at a reduced price.

So if anyone knows of one please let us know.

Thanks,
Jim and Cathy

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 8:02 am

I have one I can send you.....assuming Bec says it's OK.

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 8:05 am

Sure! Just talk to one of us about it -- it has some quirks, but is usable.

Bec

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 8:50 am

Wow... we've been looking for a cheap one as well. Looked on eBay, and have bought there before - but so many of the listings have way too much 'fine print'.

Please do spread the word if anyone knows where to find one reasonably. (Hubby doesnt want one - I do! LOL)

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 8:52 am

ebay is really the cheapest place to get one -- or occasionally in this section.

Bec

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 9:05 am

I may have an old one sitting in my basement, I will search this weekend.

Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 8:08 am

I picked up my first Palm on Ebay for $8, and it worked fine for a while. Eventually the unit failed, however, and I decided to buy a new one from Palm for $90. I think Ebay is a good option if you aren't sure you will use it, but the cost of a new one is low enough that its probably worth the expenditure if you are sure you will use the unit.

WGA Member Joined: 2006-10-17 Posts: 26

Hey Paula,
I might have one for you.... its old but if you want it just for caching it should do. I will search it out if you want a go of it. Let me know.

Sheryl

Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 9:15 am

We are looking for a cheapie also...The only real requirement is that it still loads from my PC via usb cable... other then that if it works all the better...lol

Ted & Jenni
AKA Rush-2112

Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 11:52 am

I bought the one i have on Ebay, and with buying it on ebay cheap and used.. i don't have to worry about if i scratch it or something verses if i bought it new then that would suck..

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:03 pm

Ebay is generally your best bet for cheap palms. I would recommend the m500 series or higher, because of the SD slot capability for additional storage.

Also note that if you get one with a poor battery, you can get replacements, (ebay also has those) and they are easy to replace. I replaced 3 or 4 of them for the units I had bought for resale at my paperless training last year.

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:20 pm

rush-2112 wrote:

We are looking for a cheapie also...The only real requirement is that it still loads from my PC via usb cable... other then that if it works all the better...lol

The REALLY cheap ones (under $20) are usually serial, rather than USB. The M-500 that I had was a serial unit. If you have to have USB, you are probably looking at something produced in the last 5 years.

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:40 pm

My computer doesnt even have a serial port... LOL

Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:10 am

I believe all the m500 series Palms I bought from e-bay last year had USB cradles.

The original cradle for my personal m500 bought from Palm several years ago "may" have had a serial cradle, but I had since bought a usb sync cable for it (with car charger) which works great, and is easier to use with the hardshell case.

It isn't the Palm that is usb/serial it is the cradle or cable that determines it. I think I still have a couple cradles (though without power supplies) if someone is interested. without the power supply it will sync, but it wont charge. I would think the power supplies are the same between serial and usb cradles for the same model palms.

Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 2:13 pm

Oops, I slipped a digit there. Mike is correct about the M500. The unit I had was an M100, which only had a serial cradle available. (It also ran on AAA batteries, so your car charger comment tipped me off.) M100s can be had for around $10. I would expect to pay more like $25 for an M500.

By the way, I don't know anyone who tried paperless who went back to printing out cache sheets. I bought the M100 because I wasn't sure if I would use a Palm. Once I determined that I was "paperless to stay", the $ commitment for a new Palm (around $100 with a hardshell case, including shipping) was easy to make when my M100 gave up the ghost.